It should provide a compelling look at the rebuilding process for
Torres, a former
WEC champion who takes on the talented Johnson in what should
be an exciting match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las
Vegas.

Here is a closer look at the UFC 130 prelims, with a preview and
picks.

The Matchup: Once the terror of the
WEC’s bantamweights, Torres finds himself against “Mighty Mouse”
Johnson, a rising star at 135 pounds. A tall, dangerous striker
with outstanding submissions, Torres’ sole glaring weakness may be
overpowering wrestler-types with fast hands, which is precisely the
style Johnson exemplifies.

It must have driven a stake into the heart of every fan of the
old-school Japanese scene when “Mighty Mouse” dominated Norifumi
“Kid” Yamamoto in the latter’s UFC debut in February. Using
lightning-quick takedowns and great wrestling chops, Johnson showed
he was a serious handful for the bantamweights in his stellar win
at UFC
126. Throw in wins over Damacio
Page and Nick Pace and
a hard-fought decision loss to Brad
Pickett prior to that, and we have a legitimate contender.

Torres is no easy task, for sure. The 5-foot-9 former champion has
a boatload of experience, sports a 39-3 record and is a master at
finding angles and ranges that work, using these to dictate how a
fight goes. Johnson’s job is to close the gap and hit takedowns
while striking a balance between keeping busy on the ground and not
giving Torres an opening for a submission or sweep; expect him to
push the pace, especially when he takes down Torres and negates his
six-inch height advantage.

Torres remains an exceptional fighter, and though his consecutive
stoppage losses to Brian
Bowles at WEC
42 and Joseph
Benavidez at WEC
47 prompted him to shake up his approach and training camps,
this is still a bad style match for him. Essentially, Johnson only
has to win two rounds, which means he will need three to four
effective takedowns while not getting his block knocked off or
blundering into a submission.

The Pick: Look for Johnson to flit
around on the feet a bit before exploding on Torres and smartly
taking it to the mat. Shower, rinse and repeat, and Johnson closes
hard to a unanimous decision.